Photo by Nisha Gulati
Our goal at FestPop is to help all music festival fans discover new festivals based on your age, music preferences, and other intrinsic factors. Most Gen-Xers think that they are out of the ‘fest game’ because EDM festivals are predominately in the mainstream media, so it’s easy to think that all music festivals are just for Millennials. But that is so far from the reality! If you are a wine aficionado, foodie, or lover of 80’s-90’s music then BottleRock is the music festival for you! The majority of the 120,000+ BottleRock community are 40+. Makes sense, considering the five experience options ranging from $349 to the baller package at $3,900.
Vibe & Culture
BottleRock has finally found its identity as the ideal music festival for Baby Boomers (ages 54+), as well as their teen kids. The Boomer parents can enjoy wine tasting in the VIP area and listen to bands such as Earth Wind & Fire, while their Millennial teens check out the Silent Disco in a safe environment and listen to their favorite EDM artist.
This year, the 80 artists featured during the festival were a mixed bag from Earth Wind & Fire to rising stars like Halsey. So there was something for every music taste and every generation.
Photo by Nisha Gulati
“We are always looking to exceed our attendee’s expectations,” said Dave Graham, Partner, and Co-Founder of BottleRock Presents. “From the beginning, we have built BottleRock on the foundation of knowing why people come to The Napa Valley in the first place…for the wine, food, hospitality, and weather. And then we add an incredible and diverse musical lineup. We believe this is what sets BottleRock apart and why it has been so well received.”
FestPop also highly recommends BottleRock to older Millennials and younger Gen-Xers; about ages 27-45–my generation. I had the privilege to be invited to a mutual friends ‘Birthday Bash Weekend’ at an amazing home in Napa Valley Hills. Everyone I met was part of the tech or finance scene in San Francisco. I also noticed groups of girlfriends, so all you single ladies that have no plans for Memorial Weekend 2019, this is your music festival!
The Music Was World Class
According to an awesome factoid from Dave Graham, CEO of BottleRock Napa Valley and BottleRock Presents, all the headliners (The Killers, Bruno Mars, Earth Wind & Fire, Incubus, Billy Idol MUSE & The Chainsmokers) combined have won a total of 39 Grammys, Billboard Music and American Music Awards. And received 150 nominations! Wow!
Silicone Valley Made its Mark at BottleRock
BottleRock joined forces with services from Cisco, Square, Apple, Twitter, and Amazon. Twitter, for the first time, live-streamed performances from the three-day festival. Square Register and Apple Pay services processed transactions throughout the venue. Salesforce (CRM) and Samsung Electronics (South Korea: 005930) had major physical presences with booths and VIP seating.
Photo by Nisha Gulati
Music Fest Drama
Music Festivals across the globe are extreme and filled with drama. The only major hiccup was two knuckleheads decided to rob a store on Hagen Road, near Silverado Trail. The suspects left in a Hyundai, a car chase ensued, and the suspects fled into the festival on foot. Most attendees inside the festival were unaware of the activity. Others seemed more concerned with the inconvenience of a potential lockdown for security reasons, and less concerned with an armed individual potentially roaming inside the festival. Police immediately arrested one suspect, but the second is in the wind. That’s police talk for they cant find the second suspect.
Global News: Guinness Book of World Records
On another newsworthy note, Snoop Dogg was officially enshrined in the Guinness book of world records for mixing up the biggest cocktail that, well, the people at Guinness (or anyone else, really) had ever seen. And, of course, the cocktail was “Gin and Juice,” the concoction that Snoop made famous on his all-time-great debut, “Doggystyle.”
The Food in Pictures
FestPop had a strong presence at BottleRock this year but we still could not taste all.
To keep up to date with additional details about the festival, please visit www.bottlerocknapavalley.com and sign up to receive email notifications. Join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@BottleRockNapa, #BottleRock) and Instagram (@BottleRockNapa, #BottleRock).
Scotty Moore, Founder of FestPop